Harry Potter is an Atheist *gasp*

7Jul/091

Harry Potter is an Atheist gasp

This one is for Lore

EVANGELICAL Christians – particularly those in the US – have never gone a bundle on Harry Potter books and movies, denouncing them as “unchristian”, “demonic” … blah, blah …

Now these joyless twats have one more reason to detest HP: the revelation in Esquire today that Daniel Radcliffe, star of Harry Potter, is an ATHEIST.

In an interview in the August edition of the magazine, Radcliffe, 19, said he did not believe in God.

He also expressed his admiration for Professor Richard Dawkins, the prominent atheist and bete noir of Evangelical Christians.

According to this report, Radcliffe has been reticent on the subject of religion in the past, but in an interview to promote the latest instalment in the film franchise – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, due for release on July 15 – he said:

"I’m an atheist, but I’m very relaxed about it. I don’t preach my atheism, but I have a huge amount of respect for people like Richard Dawkins who do. Anything he does on television, I will watch."

And he joked:

"There we go … that’s half of America that’s not going to see the next Harry Potter film on the back of that comment."

J K Rowling’s stories of the schoolboy wizard are taken very seriously by some Evangelical Christians in the United States. One of the largest Christian groups in the country, Focus on the Family, denounced the books as “witchcraft”.

The Church of England, however, has been more relaxed about the series – and has even published a guide advising youth leaders to use Harry Potter to spread the Christian message, as the characters face:

"Struggles and dilemmas that are familiar to us all."

Koba's Note: While I don't really follow HP, I think this is awesome, so many young people look to HP (Daniel Radcliffe) as a role model that maybe some will consider it a real option to be atheist (and yes I know others will shun him and the series for it, whatever). I'm sure the HP producers are shitting themselves, but it was a brave thing to do what he did in his situation.